Patriarch Kirill to Cease Commemoration of Patriarch of Constantinople – Synod [SputnikNews]

Patriarch Kirill to Cease Commemoration of Patriarch of Constantinople – Synod



MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will cease commemoration of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, but full communion between the churches will not be suspended, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided on Friday.

"The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church at its meeting today decided to suspend the commemoration of the Patriarch of Constantinople during divine services in the Russian Orthodox Church," Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, said.

"We also decided to suspend joint performance of services with hierarchs of the Constantinople Patriarchate, to suspend our participation in all structures chaired or co-chaired by representatives of the Constantinople Patriarchate," he said.

Patriarch Kirill's spokesman priest Alexander Volkov said full communion between the churches is not interrupted.

The Synod has also called on the heads of other Local Churches to initiate an all-Orthodox discussion of the church situation in Ukraine, the Synod said in a statement Friday.

"Realizing that what is happening poses danger to the entire world Orthodoxy, we are asking, at this difficult moment, local autocephalous churches for support, we call upon the primates of churches to understand the common responsibility for the fate of world Orthodoxy and initiate a fraternal all-Orthodox discussion of the church situation in Ukraine," the Synod said.


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https://sputniknews.com/society/201809141068039243-patriarch-commemoration-synod/

 

This is important news, from an Orthodox perspective. At some point, and this is only my personal opinion, Russia is going to have to let the Ukrainian Church become independent.

 

Patriarch Kirill is an interesting character, try googling him. He also got criticised for supporting the poor whilst wearing a $20,000 watch. If you google Patriarch Kirill and watch and go to images, you will see a before and after photo of him wearing the watch and then not wearing the watch. It has been photoshopped out of the picture unfortunately (for him) the reflection of the watch is still showing on the shinny desk surface.

 

Was the watch purchased by him or was it a gift?

Who did the photoshopping?

 

Petty.

 

Given that for the Orthodox a thousand years is like yesterday passing, I imagine he has little need for a watch.

 

From Wikipedia
"In 2012, Kirill was accused of wearing a Swiss Breguet watch worth over £20,000 (USD $30,000). In an interview with Vladimir Solovyov, Kirill said that he owned a Breguet, among other gifts, but he had never worn it.[67] Concerning a photo which appeared to show him wearing the Breguet at a liturgy, Kirill stated "I was looking at that picture and suddenly I understood - it was a collage! But after that photograph was posted I began examining. As many people come and make presents. And often there are boxes that were never opened and you don't know what is there. And I found out that in fact there is Breguet watch, so I've never given commentaries that the Patriarch doesn't have it. There is a box with Breguet, but I've never worn it." [68] This triggered at least one Internet blogger to study the issue and collect images of Kirill's wristwear. [69] Some time later, photographs on his official website showed him wearing what appeared to be an expensive watch on his left wrist,[70] [71] and later one even showed the watch airbrushed out, but with a reflection of it still visible on the table's glossy surface.[72] Later, it was stated by the Russian Church officials that it was a 24-year-old employee who "acted out of stupid, unjustifiable and unauthorized initiative" in editing the photo.[73] It was also stated that "the guilty ones [for the image manipulation] will be punished severely".[72][71]

A spokesperson added that it was "unethical" to discuss Kirill's private life, and the Russian Orthodox Church said on 4 April 2012 that foreign forces were taking revenge on it for supporting Putin: "The attacks have become more prominent during the pre-election and post-election period [... This] shows their political and also anti-Russian motives."[74]

In June 2012, Kirill was given the 2011 Silver Shoe Award (given in Russia each year "for the most dubious achievements in show business") for "immaculate disappearance of a watch" in the category "Miracles up to the elbows". The award found a pained reaction from representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church.[75]"




I don't have any issue with Kirill, the watch is the only thing I knew about him.

 

Either way it sounds like he owns things and runs in circles of the extremely wealthy and is happy to take their gifts (bribes?).. And if he bought it, then that's a whole different thing altogether!

Who did the photoshopping?[/QUOTE]
Sounds like some millenials in his service who noticed that having such a wealthy item discredited his ministry as a poor shepherd of souls

 

I don't see how.

 

Ah I see my friend Kirill is in the news again.
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The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has ordered a prominent prioress to part with her black Mercedes-Benz, reminding clerics that they should refrain from driving luxurious cars and instead use donations for charitable work.

Patriarch Kirill has “blessed” Mother Superior Feofaniya, the head of the Pokrovsky Monastery in Moscow, to sell off the S-Class Mercedes that she owns, Vladimir Legoyda, the Church’s spokesman, wrote on Telegram.

Money that is donated to the monastery must only be used for social and charitable activities, Patriarch Kirill clarified, according to the spokesman.

Legoyda noted that the Patriarch has repeatedly called upon clergy to stay away “from cars that are considered luxurious.”A few years ago, he pointed out that such vehicles had been used by ill-wishers to discredit the Church.

Feofaniya made headlines earlier this month after the media discovered that she was driving a black Mercedes, which was reportedly valued at almost 9.5 million rubles (around $135,000).

The abbess has been in charge of the Pokrovsky Monastery for more than two decades. She also reportedly heads an Orthodox gymnasium and two hotels for pilgrims, which belong to the Church.

Two years ago, President Vladimir Putin awarded Feofaniya with an Order For Merit to the Fatherland at the Kremlin.

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